Mom ordered an infant-sized Frog and Toad shirt from China. When it arrived, she ‘just screamed.’

That’s not what anyone was expecting.

Sep 10, 2024

Photo credit: via Kelsey Dawn Williamson / Facebook – An unexpected statement on a Frog and Toad T-shirt.

Kelsey Dawn Williamson, 23, from Benton, Illinois has ordered over 50 shirts from AliExpress, an online retailer based out of Hangzhou, China. But when the Frog and Toad shirt she ordered on May 10 arrived, she “literally did not know how to react so I just took a few moments to stare at it and try to process.”

The infant-sized shirt has a picture of the iconic reptiles from the children’s book series riding old-fashioned bikes with “FUCK THE POLICE” written at the bottom.

Williamson posted a photo of her daughter Salem in the shirt on Facebook and it quickly went viral.

The shirt that was delivered looked exactly like the one in the online store, just without the caustic N.W.A. lyric.

China, comedy, NWA — Frog and Toad T-shirt that was advertised. <a href="https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Kids-Two-Frog-Riding-Design-Baby-Boys-Girl-TShirt-Kids-Funny-Short-Sleeve-Tops-Children-Cute/3912003_32899558868.html?spm=a2g0n.store_allProduct.allProducts_5759711.32899558868">aliexpress.com</a>

While it seems utterly bizarre that someone would create a shirt with “FUCK THE POLICE” written beneath a picture of Frog and Toad — a duo who’ve never been known to harbor ill will against law enforcement — there’s a good reason.

Memes featuring Frog and Toad are so popular they have their own subreddit. The shirtmaker, who probably doesn’t have a license to use Frog and Toad, must have got the photo from a Google search. The person who made the shirt was most likely Chinese and either didn’t speak English or has a very poor eye for detail.

After Williamson received the shirt, she Facetimed her husband and they screamed together. “We both just lost it, dying of laughter,” she told Buzzfeed. “All he could say was ‘Oh shit.’”

“I’ve told [Salem], ‘People really like your frog shirt!’” Williamson said. But she’s not letting her child wear the offensive shirt to preschool. “It’s going in her baby box so we can bring it up when she’s older.”

Unfortunately, the incident has been all laughs for Williamson. She’s received messages from people who’ve fat-shamed her daughter.

trolling, body shaming, negative feedback — The online trolling. via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2151313438239640&set=a.158918067479197&type=3&theater">Kelsey Dawn Williamson </a>/ Facebook

Frog and Toad memes, memes, fuck the police — Nothing nice to say. via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2151313438239640&set=a.158918067479197&type=3&theater">Kelsey Dawn Williamson </a>/ Facebook

e-commerce, Facebook, childrenu2019s books — A positive message. via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2151313438239640&set=a.158918067479197&type=3&theater">Kelsey Dawn Williamson </a>/ Facebook

“People were actually messaging me just to say mean things about her,” she said. “A ton of people calling her fat, asking me what I feed her to make her so big, telling me the shirt I bought was too small.”

But Williamson has remained strong and fought back against the shamers. She edited her post to address her daughter’s weight but refuses to take it down. “SHE SEES SPECIALISTS FOR HER WEIGHT. SHE CANT HELP IT. I CANT HELP IT. MY HUSBAND CANT HELP IT. IT IS OUT OF OUR CONTROL. JUST LAUGH AT THE FUNNY SHIRT,” Williamson wrote on Facebook.

That’s right people, just laugh at the funny shirt, and stay out of people’s business.

childrenu2019s literature, encouragement, education, social behavior — Frog says, “Come at me, bro!"

This article originally appeared on 06.01.19

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An Operation Smile volunteer reverses an oxygen mask so a child with a cleft condition can blow a bubble for the first time in Guadalajara, Mexico. (Operation Smile Photos)

Family, Science

How Bubbles Help Kids with Cleft Conditions

For thousands of children born with cleft conditions, Operation Smile provides simple, playful tools—like bubbles—to strengthen the skills they need to speak and thrive.

Sarah Watts

5/11/2026

While a bottle of bubbles might seem out of place in a hospital setting, you might be surprised to learn that, for thousands of children around the world born with cleft lip and palate, they can be a helpful tool in comprehensive cleft care. Lilia, who was born with cleft lip and palate in 2020, is one of the many patients who received this care.

As a toddler, Lilia underwent two surgeries to treat cleft lip and palate with Operation Smile’s surgical program in Puebla, Mexico. Because of Operation Smile’s comprehensive care, it wasn’t long before her personality transformed: Lilia went from a quiet and withdrawn toddler to an exuberant, curious explorer, babbling, expressing herself with a variety of sounds, and engaging with others like any child her age.

Lilia is now a healthy five-year-old, with the same cheerful attitude and boundless energy. Her progress is the result of care at every level, from surgery to speech therapy to ongoing support at home—but it’s also evidence that small, sustained interventions throughout it all can make a meaningful difference.

Lilia at age 1, before surgery, and at age 5, 4 years post-surgery

Cleft Conditions: A Global Problem

Since 1982, Operation Smile has provided cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries to more than 500,000 patients worldwide with the help of generous volunteers and donors. Cleft conditions are congenital conditions, meaning they are present at birth. With cleft lip and palate, the lip or the roof of the mouth do not form fully during fetal development. Cleft conditions put children at risk for malnutrition and poor weight gain, since their facial structure can make feeding challenging. But cleft conditions can have an enormous social impact as well: Common difficulties with speech can leave kids socially isolated and unable to meet the same developmental milestones as their peers.

Surgery is a vital step in treating cleft conditions, but it’s also just one part of a much larger solution. Organizations like Operation Smile emphasize the importance of multi-disciplinary teams that provide comprehensive, long-term care to patients across many years. This approach, which includes oral care, speech therapy, nutritional support, and psychosocial care, not only aids in physical recovery from surgery but also helps children develop the skills and confidence to eat easily, speak clearly, and engage in everyday life. This ensures that each patient receives the full range of support they need to thrive.

Marie, 11 months, with her mother at Operation Smile Madagascar before her cleft surgery (Operation Smile Photos)

A Playful (and Powerful) Solution

Throughout a patient’s care, simple tools like bubbles can play a meaningful role from start to finish.

Immediately before surgery, children are often in a new and unfamiliar environment far from home, some of them experiencing a hospital setting for the first time. When care providers or loved ones blow bubbles, it’s a simple yet effective technique: Not only are the children soothed and distracted, the bubbles also help create a sense of joy and playfulness that eases their anxiety.

Milagros Rojas, a volunteer speech therapist in Peru, using bubbles in a screening with a patient. (Operation Smile Photos)

In speech therapy, bubbles can take on an even more important role. Blowing bubbles requires controlled airflow, as well as the ability to form a rounded “O” shape with the lips, which are skills that children with cleft conditions may struggle to develop. Practicing these skills with bubbles allows children to gently strengthen their facial muscles, improve breath control, and support the motor skills needed for speech development. Beyond that, blowing bubbles can help kids connect with their parents or providers in a way that’s playful, comforting, and accessible even for very young patients.

Finally, bubbles often follow patients with cleft conditions home in the “smile bags” that each patient receives when the surgical procedure is finished. Smile bags, which help continue speech therapy outside of the hospital setting, can contain language enrichment booklets, a mirror, oxygen tubing, and bubbles. While regular practice with motor skills can help with physical recovery, small acts of play help as well, giving kids space to simply enjoy themselves and join in on what peers are able to do.

Bubbles at Home and Beyond

Today, because of Operation Smile’s dedication to comprehensive cleft care, Lilia is now able to make friends and speak clearly, all things that could have been difficult or impossible before. Instead of a childhood defined by limitation, Lilia—and others around the world—can look forward to a childhood filled with joy, learning, discovery, friends, and new possibilities.

CTA: Lilia’s life was changed for the better with the care she received through Operation Smile. Find out how you can make an impact in other children’s lives by visiting operationsmile.org today.

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Photo credit: Wikipedia & Canva – Ralph Waldo Emerson shared parenting advice for raising confident kids.

Family, Parenting

Ralph Waldo Emerson shared this simple advice that parents today can still use to raise confident kids

Emerson was the father of four children.

Emily Shiffer

5/12/2026

Ralph Waldo Emerson contributed endless wisdom through his essays and poetry during his lifetime. He lived from 1803 to 1882.

The New England author is still revered today for his insights on humanity—so much so that he continues to influence pop culture. The video game Mortal Kombat 3 re-popularized a famous Emerson quote: “There is no knowledge that is not power.”

Emerson was also the father of four children, and his 19th-century parenting advice is still relevant today.

Emerson’s kids

Emerson’s first marriage was to a woman named Ellen Louisa Tucker in September 1829. She suffered from tuberculosis and, unfortunately, died less than two years later in February 1831. Devastated by her death, Emerson wrote this short poem in 1833:

“The days pass over me
And I am still the same
The Aroma of my life is gone
Like the flower with which it came.“

He married for a second time in September 1835 to Lidian (Lydia) Jackson. The couple went on to have four children: Waldo, born in 1836; Ellen, born in 1839; Edith, born in 1841; and Edward Waldo, born in 1844.

Emerson was a devoted father. His son, Edward Waldo, wrote of his father: “He had a love and tenderness for very small children, and his skill in taking and handling a baby was in remarkable contrast to his awkwardness with animals and tools.”

He also had a close relationship with his second child, Ellen Tucker Emerson. She was equally devoted to her father and never married. Instead, she served as his secretary and editor, as well as his housekeeper and caregiver.

Emerson’s parenting advice

In a letter to Ellen dated 1854, Emerson shared fatherly wisdom that encouraged her to move on from mistakes and live confidently. It’s advice that parents today may still find applicable when trying to instill confidence in their children.

He wrote, as quoted in A Memoir of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1887) by James Elliot Cabot:

“Finish every day and be done with it. For manners and for wise living it is a vice to remember. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. To-morrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely, and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This day for all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the rotten yesterdays.”

Emerson acknowledges that his daughter will make mistakes, but encourages her not to dwell on them for too long. Each day is a “new day,” and she can move forward with confidence without needing to be perfect.

Tips on raising confident kids

Parents can help their kids process mistakes and move forward without relying on the pressures of achievement and perfectionism. The American Psychological Association (APA) explains that this sense of being valued and supported is called “mattering.”

Mattering is defined as “the feeling of being valued to loved ones and communities, regardless of external evaluations of ‘success’.”

“Young people need to know that they can make a mistake or have a bad performance and they will still be cared about and accepted and perhaps even prized,” Gordon Flett, PhD, a research psychologist at York University in Toronto and author of Mattering as a Core Need in Children and Adolescents: Theoretical, Clinical, and Research Perspectives, told the APA.

To strengthen a sense of mattering, the APA recommends that parents try the following:

Spend engaged time with kids

The goal is to send kids the message that their worth is based on who they are, not what they do. Flett recommends that parents put away their phones and laptops during interactions to encourage better engagement and listening, helping kids feel heard and understood.

Normalize setbacks

This can be done by explaining to kids that mistakes are part of being human and that your love for them is not contingent on never making them.

“As soon as you make those things contingent on achievement, which is very easy to do in this culture, then kids start to learn very quickly that they’re only really worth something when they’ve done well, and they are a failure if they haven’t,” Thomas Curran, PhD, a social psychologist at the London School of Economics and author of The Perfection Trap, explained to the APA. “That creates a dependency on other people’s approval, which is a very quick way to perfectionism.”

Serve others

According to the APA, volunteering has been studied as a helpful way to build resilience and self-esteem while reducing the pressures of achievement. By focusing on the well-being of others, kids can also develop a stronger sense of usefulness and purpose.

“I would recommend to any parent who’s concerned about a child becoming a workaholic perfectionist who’s only focused on achievement [to] try to model going out there and being prosocial and finding some causes,” Flett said.

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A mom gave a revealing tour of her 'middle class' home.

Family, Home Life

Mom gives a tour of her typical ‘middle-class home’ and it’s exactly what people needed

A house tour we can all relate to.

Heather Wake

Upworthy Staff

5/12/2026

Sure, it’s lovely to see pristine, perfectly curated homes that look like they belong in Architectural Digest. A little inspo never hurt anyone. But as we all know, the spotless life is simply not an achievable reality, especially for those with busy lives and limited budgets (read: most of us).

But you know what? Maybe even the messy homes deserve some love. The ones with constant junk piles, unfinished projects, dirty dishes, and misplaced toys. The homes that will never grace the cover of a magazine but still do a wonderful job of containing all the moments life has to offer—the big, small, extraordinary, mundane, and everywhere in between. ‘Cause at the end of the day, isn’t that a home’s true purpose anyway?

One mom decided to show it all, unfiltered

@stephsharesitall
Lets normalize “average” because there is nothing wrong with it. Everywhere you look on social media you see big gorgeous houses in perfect condition and its hard not to compare yours to them. But its not the norm and half the time its staged. Our house is lived in, and its filled with love and tons of memories and at the end of the day thats all that matters.
♬ vampire – Olivia Rodrigo

Stephanie Murphy, a mom and TikTok creator, seems to think so. Murphy took viewers on an “average house tour,” and it was the exact opposite of aspirational. Highlighted in Murphy’s tour are the pantry door that’s remained unpainted for three years, blinds held together with binder clips, air conditioners held in place by duct tape, a full dish rack tray that’s “a permanent fixture” on their countertops, and not one but two junk drawers (honestly, that’s a little low by my count). You’ll also notice a fridge that is covered in her kid’s artwork and school pictures. Not in any cohesive way, but merely thrown on randomly, as nature intended.

Meanwhile, in the master bedroom, Murphy and her husband have two separate blankets on their bed because neither of them like to share. A genius idea, and just another example of how we really, really don’t need to continue with marital sleeping norms that don’t actually feel comfortable.

Her reason for sharing it is everything

As for why Murphy decided to showcase her “average, middle-class house,” it’s all in the caption of her video: “Let’s normalize ‘average’ because there is nothing wrong with it. Everywhere you look on social media, you see big gorgeous houses in perfect condition and it’s hard not to compare yours to them. But it’s not the norm and half the time it’s staged. Our house is lived in, and it’s filled with love and tons of memories and at the end of the day that’s all that matters.”

She further explained her reasoning to Good Morning America. “I feel like social media is full of one perfectly curated video after another, and there is just so much pressure from social media to be perfect in all aspects — to have perfect skin, perfect makeup, perfect outfit, perfect house. And the reality is no one’s perfect,” Murphy said.

“Honestly, I feel like there’s a very good chance that all those videos that we see were staged and they probably like, moved a pile of toys behind the camera to film and then moved it back when they were done. But that’s the part that people on social media just aren’t sharing. They don’t show you the behind-the-scenes and that is what I was looking to change,” she continued.

@sarahbondseats
Normal, non-aesthetic home tour for a family of 4. #normalhouse #regularmom #housetour #homedecor #homedecorideas
♬ Second Chances – Gregory Alan Isakov

People saw this and felt completely seen

Judging from the comments sections of this viral post, it seems like other people are ready for more average content.

“This is awesome! I’m constantly feeling inadequate when people have a perfect house that looks like nobody lives there!” one person wrote. “I feel seen,” added another.

Hear, hear. No need to feel inadequate about having a home that’s lived in. Imperfection has its own kind of beauty.

This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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Photo credit: Canva – A sad baby and a happy baby.

Family, Kids

Kasai and Klarity on the rise, Emma on the outs in Social Security’s new baby-name rankings

Liam and Olivia remain unchallenged at number one.

Tod Perry

5/11/2026
As they do every year around Mother’s Day, the Social Security Administration released its list of the top 1,000 most popular baby names. The SSA is uniquely positioned to track the rise and fall of baby names because it collects information on every baby born in the United States.

The 2025 list found no major changes among the top 10 names for girls and boys. Olivia and Liam again held the number one spots in the rankings, as they have for the past seven years. The biggest changes were among girls’ names, where Charlotte rose to second place, ending Emma’s six-year run in the spot. Ava dropped out of the top 10 and was replaced by Eliana.

Three babies. Photo credit: Canva

No big changes in the top 10s for 2025

No big changes for the boys, where the top four remained unchanged: Liam, Noah, Oliver, and Theodore.

Boys’ names
1. Liam
2. Noah
3. Oliver
4. Theodore
5. Henry
6. James
7. Elijah
8. Mateo
9. William
10. Lucas
Girls’ names
1. Olivia
2. Charlotte
3. Emma
4. Amelia
5. Sophia
6. Mia
7. Isabella
8. Evelyn
9. Sofia
10. Eliana
A crying baby. Photo credit: Canva

When it comes to the names rising fastest in popularity, there were some decidedly unconventional choices rocketing up the charts. There also appears to be a clear trend toward names with a strong “K” sound.

Names that are rapidly gaining in popularity

Boys’ names
1. Kasai
2. Akari
3. Eziah
4. Jasai
5. Neithan
Girls’ names
1. Klarity
2. Rynlee
3. Ailanny
4. Naylani
5. Madisson
A happy baby. Photo credit: Canva

Kasai made the greatest leap among boys’ names, moving up 1,108 spots on the list to land at 639. Kasai means “fire” in both Japanese and Swahili. Although the name is a fast mover in the boys’ category, it has also been used as a girls’ name. It’s believed that the name is rising in popularity due to actress Skai Jackson naming her baby Kasai and the popularity of entrepreneur and rapper Kasai Guthrie.

Klarity’s origins are a bit more obvious: it’s “Clarity” with a twist, spelled with a K instead of a C. “A rediscovered virtue name with a modern makeover, Klarity has the zippy sounds of Felicity along with the familiar feel of Kate, Katie, Kitty, and Klara,” Nameberry writes.

Akari is another name with Japanese origins, meaning “star” or, depending on how it’s written, “moon,” “bright,” “light,” or “red jewel.” It’s a rapidly rising boys’ name, but it’s also used for girls.

Rynlee is a modern construction that follows the current trend of using popular names, such as Ryan, and adding a -lee or -leigh suffix. Alternative spellings include Rynleigh and Rinlee.

Another unique name is Jasai. It’s a modern take on the traditional name “Jason” and may have ancient Hindi or Sanskrit origins, meaning “victory” or “achievement.” On the girls’ side, Ailanny appears to be a recent creation centered on the opening sound “Ai,” which is often associated with love and affection.

You can access the SSA’s full name database here.
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Photo credit: Tiktok.com/@janai | ABC News – Newscasters on air laugh together.

Family, Moms

Pregnant journalist spun around to smack her co-host. But he wasn’t the one who poked her.

“Oh… I am sorry, I got kicked, and I thought you poked me. I was ready to swat you.”

Adam Albright-Hanna

Upworthy Staff

5/11/2026

Janai Norman (@janai) was about to go on-air with her ABC News co-host Kenneth Moton when she felt something poke her pregnant belly. Hard.

She spun around at full speed, ready to smack Moton for messing with her. Then she realized he was standing several feet away, completely innocent, and had no idea what was happening.

“Oh… I am sorry, I got kicked, and I thought you poked me. I was ready to swat you,” Norman said, seconds before dissolving into laughter.

@janai
#pregnancy #mom #throwback @KennethMoton
♬ original sound – Janai Norman

The baby had kicked so hard it felt exactly like someone pressing a finger into her belly. Moton cracked up. “The baby is like, ‘Watch this,’” he joked.

Norman shared the throwback moment on TikTok on March 30, and the video has been viewed 5.8 million times. The comments are full of other pregnant people confirming that yes, some kicks absolutely feel like someone jabbing you from the outside.

“I know exactly which kind of ‘poke’ kick she felt! It’s not a normal baby kick! It legit feels like a big finger poke,” one person wrote.

Another said, “I know exactly what that kick felt like lol. I don’t even know if it’s a kick or some weird placenta movement, but it happens sometimes when I yawn or stretch. It feels like something poked you hard as f**k. It makes me jump every time.”

Someone else confessed, “Every time my baby would kick me, I always thought my phone was getting a notification, lol.”

One commenter pointed out that Norman’s instant protective reaction was actually kind of sweet: “She’s going to be a great mom; she went right into protector mode.”

The whole thing happened in the span of maybe three seconds, but it perfectly captures one of the weirder parts of being pregnant. Your body does things you have zero control over, and sometimes those things are so startling you almost clock your coworker on live television.

Moton dodged a bullet. The baby, meanwhile, was probably just stretching.

Follow Janai Norman (@janai) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.

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First day of school can be exhausting … but for who?

Family, Moms

Mom admits she isn’t perfect in a hilarious self-made ‘back-to-school’ sign

She was exhausted before the first bell rang.

Tod Perry

Upworthy Staff

5/10/2026

Every year, back-to-school season brings new school supplies, a trip to Target for clothes, and social media channels flooded with photos of kids holding chalkboards. Over the past decade, back-to-school photos with kids standing on their doorsteps with signs with their name, grade, year, and teacher have been ubiquitous on social media.

There’s nothing wrong with the photos, they’re a cute way for parents and kids to mark the passage of time. For most parents, it’s a way to remember that it all goes by way too fast. However, for the “perfect” parents out there who like to flaunt their Instagrammable lifestyle, they’re another way to show off their “flawless” first days on social media.

One mom said what we were all thinking

In an attempt to show parents they don’t have to fall for the myth of perfection on social media, Jeni Bukolt, a mother of two boys from Waxhaw, North Carolina, posted a first-day photo of herself looking burnt out and wearing sunglasses. School hadn’t even begun yet.

View this post on Instagram

“Mom’s first day of school,” the handmade sign read. “I am 42 years tired. I’ll probably miss a school ‘theme’ day. I really like sleep. Please don’t ask me to volunteer. But I will buy you supplies.”

“I make signs for my kids each year but lately I’ve thought about how I always feel behind, as though I’m failing (in some way),” Bukolt told Today. Clearly, other parents feel the same because it was a hit with a lot of them on Instagram.

A lot of comments were from parents who thought the photo was a breath of fresh air during a stressful time of year. “Brilliant, you speak for millions!” cathycole wrote. “May we all survive the drop off/pick up lane,” merakifitnessandpole added.

“I thought maybe if I can create a lighthearted moment, some other moms will laugh and understand we’re all in this kind of struggle together. Like, let’s have empathy for each other,” Bukolt told Good Morning America.

Bukolt hopes her post builds an “empathy bridge” between parents. She’d also like to shine a little reality on the parents who feel judged on social media.

“I also feel like when you look at social media, there’s all these, [picture perfect] worlds,” she added. “It’s not the true story. And some people think like, ‘Oh, they have it better or they’re perfect,’ and this is an opportunity to say no, we’re all real human beings … we’re all in the struggle together.”

Not everyone thought it was funny

But of course, there were some humorless parents who thought her post wasn’t supportive of teachers or her two sons. So Bukolt made a follow-up where she explained that she was just having fun.

“For the keyboard warriors… yes I do have a job, yes I love my kids and no, I don’t hate teachers. Back to work. Have a great day!” she wrote.

View this post on Instagram

She kept it going the next year too

The next year, Bukolt returned with another sign where she said she’s “43 years tired,” has a “new sleep routine,” and please don’t ask her to do any math. “Liam asked me about division last night. I know that common core math should be easier, but apparently I am NOT smarter than a 4th grader,” she joked in the comments.

Parenting is hard and we all fall short of glory at times. Kudos to Bukolt for making us feel a little less alone and letting us know that some folks have already accepted their imperfections on the first day.

“If other moms can get a good laugh about it, then that makes my heart happy,” she said.

This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

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They so clearly missed each other.

Family, Kids

Baby twins separated for the first time steal an adorable secret nighttime reunion

There’s nothing like the bond between twins.

Annie Reneau

Upworthy Staff

5/10/2026

If you’ve ever spent a significant amount of time with twins, you know that no other relationship compares. My husband has twin brothers, and one of those brothers had twin daughters (busting the twins-skip-a-generation myth), so our family is quite familiar with the twin bond.

Over and over, we’ve watched with amusement as one adult twin will move across the country for one reason or another, with the other twin eventually, but inevitably, following them. Twins redefine the word “inseparable,” which makes sense since they’ve literally been together since before they were even born.

This baby monitor video says it all

Nowhere is that bond more apparent than in a video of twin babies at the end of their first day of separation ever.

In a TikTok video shared by @thattwinmama back in 2023, we see black-and-white footage from a baby monitor showing baby twin sisters standing in adjacent cribs.

@thattwinmama_
Will forever make me😭… cant think of anything stronger than the #twinbond ❤️ #twinsoftiktok #twins #twinsisters #babylife #twinlove #sisterlove #feelgood #babiesoftiktok #sharethelove #newmom #4u #sistersforever
♬ What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”] – Billie Eilish

“Our twins were separated for a day for the first time in their entire lives…” the video text reads. “That night we put them down leaving them alone for the first time in over 24 hours. And pretty sure it’s safe to say they definitely missed each other.”

Watch how the baby girls cuddle and love on one another with the sweetest tenderness.

The head kiss? The back pat? Come on. It doesn’t get any cuter than that.

They still have that special bond today

And in case you were wondering, that fierce love is still going strong, as seen in these later videos from the account:

@thattwinmama_
She said bully who 👀🤣 #twinmom #twins #toddlermom #momlife #twinmomlife #funnymom #funny #toddler #twinsisters #4u #anxiety #twinbond #4upage
♬ Anxiety – Doechii

@thattwinmama_
If looks could kill 😅 Honestly they both would ride or die for one another if I’m honest. #twins #twinmom #twinsisters #twinbond #twinsoftiktok #momlife #funnyvideos #funnytoddlers #fypシ #doechii
♬ Anxiety – Doechii

Science backs up what we already knew

There truly is nothing like the bond between twins. There have even been documented cases of twins who were separated at birth and who ended up having the same traits and making similar life choices later in life. It’s a relationship only twins themselves get to experience, but anyone who is a friend or family member of twins has to try to understand it if they truly want to know them because it’s such a unique and inseparable part of their identity.

This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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Photo credit: Canva – A female student shocked by her poor grade on a test.

Family, Parenting

The forgotten reason teachers don’t use the letter ‘E’ in grading anymore

It will never return to report cards.

Heather Wake

5/9/2026

We all know how the grading system works. A is the best score you can get (and the only acceptable score for the perfectionists among us). Then comes B, which is also generally considered positive. By C, you’re in dangerous territory. D is even worse. And F, well, F is the equivalent of wearing a dunce cap.

But where’s the E grade? Why do we skip over this letter?

Turns out, we didn’t always exclude the letter E from our grading system. And it led to some very confused parents.

The missing grade that vanished from report cards

The earliest record of a letter-grade system comes from Mount Holyoke College in 1897, which quickly spread to virtually every school in North America. When it first debuted, E was the lowest grade a student could receive, with A still being the highest.

Though popular, the system was fairly wonky from the start. As reported by Slate, A represented scores between 95 and 100, while B and C each stood for 10-point ranges. Students could get a D only with a score of “precisely 75.” Anything below that received an E. And then, only a year later, they added F to represent “fail,” and tweaked each letter grade to represent only five points, with scores below 75 resulting in failure. E reflected scores 75 to 79.

Why schools dropped the letter E

However, as the story goes, many parents who viewed E on their child’s report cards interpreted it as “Excellent,” rather than practically failing.

By 1930, most schools became aware of the unintended consequences and did away with the letter grade entirely.

Of course, this hasn’t been the only time schools have experimented with different grading metrics. Some played around with varieties of numerical scales (0-4, 0-9, 0-20, 0-100). Others tried just three grade groups (best, worse, and worst), while some used four under the following labels: “first in their respective classes,” “orderly, correct, and attentive,” “have made very little improvement,” and “they have learnt little or nothing.”

In fact, the further back you go, you’ll notice that tracking an individual student’s progress and mastery through close, personal observation and detailed, descriptive feedback was the norm rather than categorization. But as schools kept getting an influx of students, a standardized and seemingly more efficient system became the norm.

Of course, there have been criticisms of this method since its inception. For decades, educators have shared concerns that it prioritized getting a certain letter grade rather than the intrinsic value of learning.

Could grading systems change again?

Image of a hand writing “Never Stop Learning” in marker. Canva

That debate is still happening today. In recent years, some schools and universities have experimented with alternatives like pass/fail systems, standards-based grading, narrative evaluations, and competency-based assessments that measure whether students have mastered specific skills rather than averaging test scores. Others have adopted portfolios and teacher feedback in place of traditional report cards altogether.

Supporters of these approaches argue that they can reduce anxiety and encourage students to focus more on growth, participation, and curiosity. Critics worry they may make it harder to measure achievement consistently or compare students across schools.

Either way, the disappearing E grade is proof that the grading system has never been quite as fixed or timeless as many people assume. What feels permanent in one generation of classrooms can easily be rewritten by the next. And, arguably, it should be able to adapt as we do.

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Some dads just get it.

Family, Parenting

Boomer dad plays song to comfort his daughter going through divorce and it’s everything

Sometimes you don’t need words.

Heather Wake

Upworthy Staff

5/9/2026

There’s no shortage of stories out there showing how emotionally distant or out of touch some baby boomers can be. Younger generations are so fed up with it that they have their own catchphrase of frustration, for crying out loud. The disconnect becomes especially visible in parenting styles. Boomers, who grew up with starkly different views on empathy, trauma, and seeking help, have a reputation for being less than ideal support systems for their children when it comes to emotional issues.

But even if they often have a different way of showing it, boomer parents of course have a lot of love for their children, and many try their best to be a source of comfort when their kid suffers as any good parent would. Occupational therapist Jacqueline (@jac.rose8) shared a lovely example of this by posting a video of her boomer dad helping her through a divorce in the best way he knew how.

His solution was unexpected and perfect

Turns out, it was the perfect thing.

“My husband just said he’s divorcing me and my dad came over and I was non-functional in bed,” Jacqueline wrote her video, adding that “…boomer dad didn’t know what to do, so he played his favorite song, the Dua Lipa ‘Rocket Man’ remix.”

In the clip, Jacqueline’s dad is faced toward the window describing what he imagines while listening to the song and performing the sweetest dad dance ever. They go back and forth a little bit, but it’s clear that her dad just wants to sit with her in the moment, be a little silly, and provide her with some comfort.

@jac.rose8
#divorcetok #divorcesucks #divorcesupport #divorcesupportforwomen #divorcesupportsquad #supportivedad #disabilitytiktok
♬ original sound – Jacqueline

The heartwarming moment served as a great reminder that a lot of words aren’t always necessary.

The internet fell completely in love

“I am CRYING. This is so precious, he is trying his hardest to be there for you in any capacity. How pure ❤️,” one person wrote.

Another added, “This would instantly make me feel better.”

Even Jacqueline shared in the comments that her dad “didn’t know what to say but he was there and helped me in such a sweet way. He’s the best.”

Proving that he has multiple love languages, Jacqueline later shared that her dad also went out to Home Depot to replace her lightbulbs. Not only that, but her mom also made Jacqueline’s favorite dinner.

@jac.rose8
Replying to @NatCat1738 divorcetok divorcesucks divorcesupport divorcesupportforwomen divorcesupportsquad supportivedad supportivemom disabilitytiktok
♬ original sound – Jacqueline

Great parents exist in every generation

It can be easy to sometimes focus a little too much on the generational differences between boomers and everyone else, but really, it goes to show that great parents (and great people) exist in every generation. Part of what makes them great is knowing that they don’t need to be perfect in order to show up when things are hard. Being there and sharing their love is enough.

This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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